ES2235827T3 - STERILE AIR DIFFUSION DEVICE. - Google Patents

Abstract

An installation includes a worktop, a first wall and a device for the close protection of products arranged on the worktop, whereby the products are sensitive to contamination from the ambient environment. The products are protected by diffusion of a sterile air stream in a direction substantially perpendicular or parallel to the worktop. The device extends along the worktop and has a least one end adjoining the first wall so that there is an air gap between the end and the first wall. The end is formed by a porous second wall made of perforated material, extending substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the device, in such a way as to create in the gap a sterile air leakage directed outward away from the worktop, whereby the sterile air leakage counters any ambient air induction into the gap toward the worktop.

Description

Sterile air diffusion device.

The present invention relates in a manner general to the close protection of a job located in a polluted atmosphere, and more particularly to a device of close protection of products sensitive to contamination by pollutants driven by the environment, being said products positioned on a work plane such as a conveyor.

The invention finds an application particularly advantageous in the field of industry agri-food or pharmaceutical where products are generally sensitive to pollution driven by the environment in the course of its elaboration, and when its transport takes place on a Conveyor before conditioning.

Such a device according to the invention allows to protect in particular an individual work plane of processing and / or transport of said sensitive products, such as a conveyor on which said are positioned products, by diffusion of a sterile air vein according to a direction substantially perpendicular or parallel to said conveyor, said device extending along said conveyor.

In certain cases, it may happen that the close protection device such as the one mentioned hereby minus one end coupled to a wall so that there is a air gap between said wall and said end.

This wall is for example an exit wall of machine such as an oven, which rises vertically and presents an opening leading to said protected work plane by the protection device.

This wall can also be an extreme wall of another similar close protection device, but at the end of said protection device without mechanical fixation, for constitute with it a close protection set of a plane of long work.

The ends of said protection device already known are generally closed by watertight walls, and the air gap created between said wall and said end device coupling constitutes a risk zone where they can Inductions of contaminated ambient air occur. Induction of polluted ambient air produced by aspiration, consists of a contaminated air flow directed towards the work plane where Sensitive products are arranged. This air flow contaminated is then mixed with the vein of sterile diffused air by the protection device and contaminates it.

To avoid this inconvenience, this The invention proposes an installation according to claim 1.

According to other advantageous features and not Limitations of the invention:

to)

he device comprises a sheath of flexible material that diffuses a sterile air vein in a substantially vertical direction perpendicular to said work plane, said sheath being constituted by an almost watertight upper wall and a wall Porous bottom made of perforated flexible material, which extend longitudinally along the axis of the sheath and that delimit including a sterile air supply duct, and being said end of the sheath constituted by a porous wall made in perforated flexible material;

b)

bliss extreme wall and the porous lower longitudinal wall of the sheath they are made of material of the same porosity;

C)

he perforated flexible material that constitutes the longitudinal wall porous bottom and said end wall of the sheath is a tissue synthetic such as a polyester or polypropylene fabric.

d)

every longitudinal edge of the upper longitudinal wall of said sheath is prolonged by a skirt that extends vertically in direction to the work plane and that constitutes a means of diffusion of sterile air at fast speed with respect to the wall Porous lower longitudinal sheath that diffuses sterile air at slow speed;

and)

he device comprises a plurality of flexible material sheaths juxtaposed so that their axes are parallel and are arranged in the same plane parallel to the work plane, covering said pods the entire width of said work plane. According to one preferred variant of this device, the longitudinal edge external of the almost watertight upper wall of the sheath located in each end of the juxtaposition of pods, is prolonged by a skirt that extends vertically in the direction of the plane of work and that constitutes a means of diffusion of sterile air to fast speed relative to the bottom walls porous;

F)

the two skirts of the pod or juxtaposition of pods are of equal length and extend to the immediate proximity of the working plan;

g)

the two skirts of the pod or juxtaposition of pods have different lengths, a long skirt whose length is approximately equal to the expected height between the axis of the sheath and the work plane and a short skirt whose length is approximately equal to half the length of the skirt long

h)

he device comprises a blow nozzle disposed on one edge longitudinal of said work plane and apt to produce in address to said products a sterile air vein according to a general horizontal direction substantially parallel to said plane of work, said blow nozzle comprising at the outlet a perforated material air diffuser provided with upper parts and lower that produce an anti-inductive air flow whose speed of diffusion presents a normal component to the work plane, said end of said blow nozzle being constituted by a wall made of perforated material;

i)

bliss extreme wall of the blow nozzle and the upper parts e Bottom of the air diffuser are made of perforated sheet equal porosity;

j)

the blow nozzle presents at the level of said porous end, in its upper surface that extends horizontally until its exit, a band of perforated material that forms a sterile air flow directed essentially vertically in the opposite direction to the plane of job;

k)

he device consists of a box positioned above the work plane, fed with sterile air and presenting a porous bottom wall for sterile air diffusion according to a vertical direction substantially perpendicular to the work plane, said porous wall being made of perforated sheet and presenting a profile that ensures a central air diffusion sterile at slow speed bordered on each side by a diffusion of sterile air at fast speed, said end of the box being constituted by a wall comprising at least one porous area of perforated material that extends over the entire width of said box and that rises from the bottom edge of said box in a certain height determined.

The invention also proposes a set of protection according to claim 16.

The description that follows with respect to annexed plans given by way of non-limiting examples, will understand what the invention is and how it can be done.

In the attached plans:

- Figure 1 is a schematic sectional view according to A-A of the device of Figure 2,

- Figure 2 is a front schematic view of a first embodiment of a device according to the invention,

- Figure 3 is a detailed view of a end of the device of figure 4,

- Figure 4 is a schematic view in perspective of a second embodiment of the device according to the invention,

- Figure 5 is a front view of an assembly close protection according to the invention,

- Figure 6 is a front view of another close protection assembly according to the invention, and

- Figure 7 is a sectional view longitudinal of a third embodiment according to the invention.

Preliminarily it will be observed that in a figure the same or similar elements of the different represented embodiments, will be as far as possible referenced by the same reference signs, and not They will be described each time.

In Figures 1 and 2 a first is shown embodiment of a close protection device of products arranged in a work plane 12 such as a transporter, sensitive to pollution driven by the ambient. Work plane 12 rests on the ground by means of of one foot 13.

This device 100 comprises a plurality of Flexible material sheaths 101, 102, 103, here in number of three, juxtaposed on the work plane 12, according to one direction transverse to the longitudinal edges of the work plane 12, of such that the X axes of the sheaths 101, 102, 103 are parallel and extend in the same plane parallel to the work plane 12.

The three pods 101, 102, 103 juxtaposed cover the width and length of the work plane 12, and spread a sterile air vein in a substantially vertical direction perpendicular to said work plane 12.

The pods are air fed to this end sterile by individual air supply ducts not represented, which flow into the pods tightly through the upper part of said pods.

The three identical pods 101, 102, 103 will not be described here in detail. They are of the type of already described in international application WO 97/40325 which belongs to applicant.

In particular, each pod 101, 102, 103 is constituted by an almost semi-cylindrical upper wall and by a semi-cylindrical porous bottom wall made of material flexible perforated, extending longitudinally along the axis of the sheath and that delimit between them a cylindrical duct of X axis feeding with sterile air.

In addition, the outer longitudinal edge of the wall almost watertight upper of sheath 101, 103 located at each end of the juxtaposition of pods, it is prolonged by a skirt 104, 105 which extends vertically in the direction of the work plane and which constitutes a means of diffusion of sterile air at speed fast (materialized by the arrows v in figure 2) with respect to the porous bottom walls of said pods that diffuse the sterile air at slow speed (materialized by the arrows v in Figure 2).

The average speed of sterile air at the exit of the porous walls of the pods is of the order of 0.4 m / s.

According to the embodiment represented in the Figures 1 and 2 the two skirts 104, 105 are of the same length and They extend to the immediate proximity of the work plane.

According to a variant represented in Figure 6, it can be provided that the two skirts 104, 105 have some different lengths, a long skirt 104 whose length is equal approximately at the expected height between the X axis of the sheath 101 and the work plane 12 and a short skirt 105 whose length is approximately equal to half the length of the long skirt 104.

In addition, each pod 101, 102, 103 has a end 102a coupled to an outlet wall 10 of a machine, by an oven, for example, comprising an opening 11 leading to the work plane 12. This wall 10 rises vertically from the soil up above those pods.

Said ends of the pods 101, 102, 103 made with flat tissue discs, they take a bulging shape under the pressure of sterile air circulating in said pods.

There is then an air gap 1 between said ends of pods 101, 102, 103 and wall 10, and more particularly between the ends of the side skirts 104, 105 and wall 10. This air gap 1 is approximately 30 to 35 mm

To avoid any induction of air contaminated in said interval 1, each end 102a of each sheath 102 is formed by a porous wall of flexible material Perforated.

An air leak is thus created in said interval 1 sterile directed outwards, towards the opposite part of the plane of work 12, preventing this leakage of sterile air an eventual induction of ambient air in the interval 1 towards said plane of work 12.

Said extreme wall 102a and the longitudinal wall Porous bottom of the sheath are made of a material from the Same porosity.

The perforated flexible material that constitutes the porous lower longitudinal wall and said end walls 102a of sheaths 101, 102 and 103 is a synthetic fabric such as a fabric polyester or polypropylene.

For some work plans or ones long length conveyors, you may be required to prolong each of the three flexible pods juxtaposed positioning at the end of each sheath 102 another similar sheath 102 aligned with it (see figure 1). The two aligned pods 102 do not They have mechanical fixation between them.

Thus, the other end 102b of each of the three juxtaposed pods, located opposite the end 102a coupled to the outlet wall of machine 10, is coupled to a extreme wall 102a of the other similar sheath 102.

An air gap is also created 1 between the two end walls 102b, 102a coupled to the two pods placed end to end.

To avoid eventual air induction polluted environment in this interval 1, one of the two extremes 102a, 102b coupled to the two sheaths 102 aligned, is constituted by a porous wall made of a flexible material perforated for example of the type of which it constitutes the wall Porous lower longitudinal of each sheath. Indeed, for this Extreme porous wall creates a sterile air leak to the outside in the opposite direction to the work plane, preventing a eventual induction of contaminated air in said air range one.

It can also be foreseen that the two walls ends 102a, 102b coupled to the two aligned sheaths 102 are constituted by porous walls of flexible material Perforated. In this air gap 1, two leaks of sterile air outward in the direction opposite to the plane of work 1 preventing an eventual induction of contaminated air in the latter.

In Figure 4 a second mode has been represented of realization of a device 200 for the close protection of products arranged on a work plane such as a Conveyor 12, sensitive to environmental pollution.

This device comprises 200 on each longitudinal edge of said work plane 12, two blow nozzles 201 placed end to end capable of producing in the direction of the sensitive products, a sterile air vein according to a general horizontal direction and substantially parallel to said plane of work 12 (see figure 4).

As Figure 3 shows more particularly, each blow nozzle 201 comprising at the outlet a diffuser of air 202 of perforated material comprising upper parts 202a and lower 202b that produce an anti-inductive air flow whose diffusion rate has a normal component to the plane working 12.

On each longitudinal edge of the work plane 12, a blowing nozzle 201 has an end 201a coupled to an outlet wall 10 of a machine, for example an oven, which it presents here an opening 11 that flows into the plane of Work 12, here a transporter.

An air gap 1 is then also created between each end 201a of each nozzle and said wall.

To avoid induction of contaminated air in this air gap 1 each end 201a of each nozzle of blown 201 is constituted by a porous wall made in perforated material This porous wall has a length of approximately 10 cm (see figure 3).

In particular, the end wall 201a of each blow nozzle 201 and upper parts 202a and lower 202b of the air diffuser 202 are made of perforated sheet of equal porosity.

This porous end arrangement allows to create a leak of sterile air outward in the direction opposite to work plane, which prevents an eventual induction of air contaminated in said air range 1.

In addition to each longitudinal edge of the conveyor 12, at the junction of the two blow nozzles 201 placed end to end, there are between the two ends 201b of said nozzles an air gap 1 of a few millimeters.

To also avoid any phenomenon of induction of polluted air in this air range 1, one of the blowing nozzles 201 have a porous end 201b and at level of this porous end on its upper surface, which horizontally extends until its exit, a band 201c of material perforated (see figure 3). The porous end 201b and said band perforated 201c form a directed sterile air flow essentially vertically in the opposite direction to the work plane 12.

This perforated band 201c presents here a width of 2 cm and a length of 10 cm.

In figure 5, a set of close protection of P products arranged on a plane of work 12 such as a conveyor, sensitive to pollution driven by the environment, comprising a device 100 of protection consisting of juxtaposed pods 101, 102, 103 of flexible material, identical to the device shown in the figure 2 and at the end of this device, a blowing nozzle 201 arranged on each longitudinal edge of said work plane 12, suitable for producing in the direction of said products P a vein of sterile air according to a horizontal general direction noticeably parallel to said work plane, each nozzle comprising blown at the outlet an air diffuser of perforated material that it comprises upper and lower parts that produce a flow of anti inductive air whose diffusion rate has a normal component to the work plane.

In this set, it is planned as represented in figure 2, on both sides of said pods vertical skirts 104, 105 having lengths identical. The skirts extend here from the axis of the sheaths to the longitudinal edges of the conveyor 12.

In addition, each end of each skirt 104, 105 arranged at the junction with the blowing nozzles 201, it is formed by a porous wall of perforated flexible material of the same type than the one that constitutes the porous lower longitudinal walls of said pods.

The ends of the blowing nozzles 201 They are in turn made of solid sheet completely waterproof.

This provision allows to avoid an eventual induction of contaminated air in the interval 1 created between skirts and blow nozzles. This interval is of the order of 20 mm taken between the vertical side skirts and the nozzles

In figure 6, a variant has been represented of the close protection assembly of figure 5, according to which It is provided on both sides of the flexible pods juxtaposed 101, 102, 103 vertical skirts of different lengths, a long skirt 104 whose length is approximately equal to the expected height between the shaft of the pods and the work plane and a short skirt 105 whose length is approximately equal to the half the length of the long skirt.

An extreme skirt is also provided vertical 106 extending in front of the ends of the sheaths, from the axes of said pods, in a plane perpendicular to the planes of the vertical side skirts 104, 105, in direction to said work plane 12 up to a distance determined from the latter to allow the passage of said products under said extreme skirt 106.

The ends of said pods are porous walls and the ends of the blow nozzles located next to the pods are sealed.

This new provision allows to avoid a eventual induction of contaminated air in interval 1 created between the pods and the blowing nozzles, especially on the side of the side skirt cuts 105.

In figure 7, a box 300 is shown positioned above work plane 12, air-fed sterile through a duct 303 that empties into the box through its wall watertight upper. This box 300 has a porous bottom wall 301 sterile air diffusion according to a vertical direction substantially perpendicular to the work plane 12, said 301 porous wall made of perforated sheet and presenting a profile such that it ensures a central diffusion of sterile air to slow speed bordered on each side by an air diffusion Sterile at fast speed. One end of the box 300 is coupled to a machine outlet wall 10. Here this exit wall 10 It has an opening 11 that opens onto the work plane 12. This end is formed by a wall comprising at least a porous zone 302 of perforated material that extends throughout the width of said box 300 and rising from the bottom edge of said box at a certain height, here of the order of 25 mm

In addition, the box 300 is axially extended by another identical box 300 that is arranged at the end of the First box without mechanical fixation with the latter.

The end of the second box 300 coupled to the tight end of the first box 300 comprises a porous area 302 of perforated material extending in the width of said box 300 and rising from the bottom edge of said box in a certain height determined here of the order of 25 mm.

The porosity of the porous zone 302 of the ends and bottom walls for diffusion of sterile air 301 of the boxes 300, it is in this case typical identical.

These provisions of the end of the boxes also allow to avoid inductions of contaminated air in the air intervals 1 created between wall 10 and the first box and between the two ends of the boxes placed end to end, creating outwardly directed air leaks in the direction opposite work plane 12, which prevents air flow incoming.

In general, air quality at the level of the work plane and at the level of the different modes of above described embodiment of the protection device according to the invention, at the junction of the ends of the latter with different types of walls, it is class 10 in particular of 0, 3 \ mu, what is a testimony of sterile environment, in particular according to US Fed Std 209 E of 1992.

The present invention is not in any way limited to the embodiments described and represented, but the expert in the field will know how to contribute to it any variant according to its essentiality.

Claims (19)

1. Installation comprising:

-

a work plane (12) such as a conveyor,

-

a first wall (10); Y

-

a device (100) for the close protection of ready products on the work plane, sensitive to contamination by environment, by diffusion of a sterile air vein according to a direction substantially perpendicular or parallel to the plane of work, extending the device along the plane of work and presenting at least one end coupled to the first wall (10) so that there is an air gap (1) between the end and the first wall,

characterized in that the end is constituted by a second wall, porous, of perforated material, which extends substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis (X) of the device, thus creating in the interval (1) a leakage of sterile air directed outwards in the direction opposite the work plane (12), preventing this leakage of sterile air from an eventual induction of ambient air in the interval towards the work plane. 2. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that said first wall (10) is a machine outlet wall provided with an opening that flows into the work plane. 3. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that said first wall is an end wall of another similar device with which it forms a set of devices for the close protection of products arranged on a large work plane, sensitive to the contamination conducted. by the environment, said devices being placed end to end without mechanical fixation between them. 4. Installation according to claim 3, characterized in that said first wall is a porous wall of perforated material by which a leak of sterile air directed towards the outside in the direction of said work plane is created. 5. Installation according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises at least one sheath (101, 102, 103) of flexible material that diffuses a sterile air vein along a vertical direction substantially perpendicular to said work plane (12 ), said sheath being constituted by an almost watertight upper wall and by a porous lower wall made of perforated flexible material, which extend longitudinally along the axis (X) of the sheath and which delimit between them a sterile air supply duct, and one end of the sheath being constituted by a porous wall made of perforated flexible material. 6. Installation according to claim 5, characterized in that said end wall and the porous lower longitudinal wall of the sheath are made of a material of equal porosity. 7. Installation according to one of claims 5 or 6, characterized in that the perforated flexible material constituting the porous lower longitudinal wall and said end wall of the sheath is a synthetic fabric such as a polyester or polypropylene fabric. 8. Installation according to any of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that each longitudinal edge of the almost impervious upper longitudinal wall of said sheath is extended by a skirt (104, 105) extending vertically in the direction of the work plane (12) and that it constitutes a means of diffusion of sterile air at rapid speed with respect to the porous lower longitudinal wall of the sheath that diffuses sterile air at slow speed. 9. Installation according to any of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of sheaths (101, 102, 103) of flexible material juxtaposed so that their axes (X) are parallel and are arranged in the same plane parallel to the plane of work, covering said sheaths (101, 102, 103) the entire width of said work plane (12). 10. Installation according to claim 9, characterized in that the outer longitudinal edge of the almost watertight upper wall of the sheath (101, 103) located at each end of the juxtaposition of sheaths, is extended by a skirt (104, 105) which is extends vertically in the direction of the work plane (12) and which constitutes a means of diffusion of sterile air at a rapid speed with respect to the porous lower walls of said sheaths that diffuse the sterile air at a slow speed. 11. Installation according to one of claims 8 or 10, characterized in that the two skirts (104, 105) are of equal length and extend to the immediate proximity of the work plane. 12. Installation according to one of claims 8 or 10, characterized in that the two skirts (104, 105) have different lengths and form a long skirt (104) whose length is approximately equal to the expected height between the axis of the sheath and the work plane and a short skirt (105) whose length is approximately equal to half the length of the long skirt. 13. Installation (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises at least one blow nozzle (201) disposed on a longitudinal edge of said work plane (12) and capable of producing in the direction of said products a sterile air sheath according to a general horizontal direction substantially parallel to said work plane, said blow nozzle (201) at the outlet comprising an air diffuser (202) of perforated material provided with upper and lower parts that produce a flow of anti-inductive air whose diffusion rate has a component normal to the work plane, said end (201a, 201b) of said blow nozzle consisting of a wall made of perforated material. 14. Installation according to claim 13, characterized in that said end wall (201a, 201b) of the blow nozzle and the upper (202a) and lower (202b) of the air diffuser (202) are made of perforated sheet of equal porosity . 15. Installation according to one of claims 13 or 14, characterized in that the blowing nozzle has at the level of said porous end (201b), on its upper surface that extends horizontally until its exit, a band (201c) of perforated material which it forms a sterile air flow directed essentially vertically in the opposite direction to the work plane. 16. Close protection assembly of products arranged on a work plane such as a conveyor, sensitive to environmentally driven contamination, characterized in that it comprises an installation (100) according to claim 11 and at one end of said device, therefore minus a blow nozzle (201) disposed on a longitudinal edge of said work plane, capable of producing in direction of said products a sterile air vein according to a general horizontal direction substantially parallel to said work plane, said blowing nozzle comprising at the outlet an air diffuser of perforated material comprising upper and lower parts that produce an anti-inductive air flow whose diffusion rate has a component normal to the work plane, said device further comprising a vertical end skirt constituting the union with said blow nozzle extending the end skirt in a plan or perpendicular to the planes of the side skirts of said sheath, in the direction of said work plane up to a certain distance from the latter to allow the passage of said products under said extreme skirt. 17. Close protection assembly of products arranged on a work plane such as a conveyor, sensitive to environmentally driven contamination, characterized in that it comprises an installation (100) according to claim 12 and at one end of said device, therefore minus a blow nozzle (201) disposed on a longitudinal edge of said work plane, capable of producing in direction of said products a sterile air vein according to a general horizontal direction substantially parallel to said work plane, said blowing nozzle comprising at the outlet an air diffuser of perforated material comprising upper and lower parts that produce an anti-inductive air flow whose diffusion rate has a component normal to the work plane, said device further comprising a vertical end skirt constituting the union with said blow nozzle, extending the end skirt in a pla not perpendicular to the planes of the side skirts of said sheath, in the direction of said work plane up to a certain distance from the latter to allow said products to pass under said extreme skirt. 18. Installation according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises a box (300) positioned above the work plane (12), supplied with sterile air and having a porous lower wall (301) for diffusion of sterile air according to a vertical direction substantially perpendicular to the work plane (12), said porous wall being made of perforated sheet and presenting a profile such that it ensures a central diffusion of sterile air at slow speed bordered on each side by a diffusion of sterile air at fast speed , said end of the box being constituted by a wall comprising at least one porous area (302) of perforated material that extends over the entire width of said box and that rises from the bottom edge of said box in a certain height determined. 19. Installation according to claim 18, characterized in that said height is of the order of 25 mm.